One more small Fairy Tail
by popie312
Summary: Lucy, Levy, Erza, and Juvia are best friends, living on their own. With the death of the king, riots start breaking out, and their home is destroyed. A chance encounter gives them a place to live... The palace. However, in exchange the girls are given strange jobs that get more and more dangerous. Questions are asked, questions with dangerous answers. Rated T cause I'm paranoid.


**I DO NOT OWN FAIRY TAIL.**

Seven Years Ago

Two children ran around in a small clearing near the edge of the woods. The golden-haired girl climbed a tree to it's lowest branch, about 8 feet up, while the boy wasn't looking. Lying in wait, she watched as the pink haired male looked around in confusion. As he wandered below the branch where she lay, she slid off. Landing behind him, she tapped him on the shoulder and yelled, "Tag!" gleefully, racing away.

"You cheated!" The boy whined, as the girl stuck out her tongue and yelled,

"Natsu is just slow!" Narrowing his eyes the boy, Natsu, called out,

"Hey!" and gave chase, arms outstretched. Neither of the two noticed that during this time, they had exited the safe part of the forest, and entered parts forbidden to them by their parents.

"Eeep-!" The girl gave out a high-pitched shriek as she tripped over some tree roots, and tumbled into a river, gone unnoticed behind the large bushes surrounding it's banks. The water wasn't deep or fast, but the sharp stones covering the bottom easily cut her as she landed. She gasped at the sudden pain in her right arm.

"Luce!" The boy screamed.

Quickly, the boy waded in and carried the girl back to the clearing where they had first started. He set her down at the base of a weeping willow, and examined her arm carefully for the first time. Small cuts and bruises decorated her skin, but what he was most concerned about was the deep gash on the back of her hand.

 _From when she tried to catch her fall_ , he thought.

"It hu-hurts…" The girl whimpered as the boy touched her injured arm.

"I'll get you back home," Natsu assured her, and once again, he scooped her up and ran as fast as he could towards the Heartfilia Mansion looming near.

Once the two reached the edge of the property, they were immediately set upon by servants, kept there in case something happened. They whisked Lucy away into the infirmary, shutting the door in Natsu's face as he tried to follow them in. Seeing the upset look on his face, one person said to him kindly,

"We only wish for miss Lucy to be safe. Please do not hold it against them, they have yet to find out how she was hurt, although I am certain you would never bring harm to her. I'm sure you will see her soon, once everything is sorted out." Natsu managed a smile.

"Yeah," he replied softly, " soon. Thanks Capricorn." But not a moment later a man came storming down the hall and into the infirmary. As he came closer, those already inside retreated away from Lucy. Stick straight, faces pale, not daring to breathe- for the man in question was no other than Jude Heartfilia, Lucy's father, and the master of the house. Stopping right in front of Lucy, who sat on a white bed, his eyes traced up and down her arm, taking in the damage. His face twisted- not from worry like most parents- but from anger.

 **"WHAT IS THIS?!"** He roared to her and everyone else in the room. Lucy shrank back and the servants were frozen in their fear. One poor girl with waist length, curled, pink hair shivered violently in a corner of the room. Tears about to spill, she whispered,

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" repeatedly, on the edge of hysteria. One woman with long light blue hair and a vase filled with water spoke up, if a bit hesitantly.

"…Miss Lucy… hurt her arm while out-"

" _And?"_ He cut her off. " _Will it leave any marks?"_ To her credit, the woman did not flinch at his tone. She merely stood up straighter and said,

"The minor cuts and bruises will not, but I'm afraid the larger wound on the back of her hand will most likely leave a scar." Upon hearing this, Jude's face darkened, and he ordered everyone except Lucy out of the room. His voice was cool, and calm, which was somehow scarier than if he had shouted at them. The moment the last person was out, the door was slammed shut, and a small clicked signaled that it had been locked. Then, screams of rage came from the other side of the door, not quite loud enough to understand the words, but enough to make everyone leap back.

"He getting worse," one man murmured, staring at the floor.

"Scorpio!" The person next to him hissed. "What if he hears you?"

"Then I'll just quit!" The one called Scorpio snapped back. "I'm sick of all of this. He's been mistreating all of us ever since Layla died, especially Lucy. Hell, he's planning to _marry her off_! In the first place, the only reason why I'm here at all is because of Layla. That holds true for you too Sagittarius. What reason do either of us have to stay?"

"The same reason why we didn't leave before." Sagittarius said firmly. "We need these jobs. And if not that, then because Layla would never have wanted us to abandon this place." The two fell silent. The sounds coming from behind the door cut off abruptly, and the door slid open. Stepping out calmly, Lucy's father said,

"Get her cleaned up." It was almost as if nothing had happened. The only evidence of what had just occurred was Lucy, curled up in a ball, tears streaming down her face. This time when everyone entered the room, no one stopped Natsu as he sat next to Lucy and hugged her as she cried. Only after her wounds had been treated and mostly everybody had left to take care of other things, did Natsu ask her,

"What did he tell you this time?" His face was uncharacteristically serious.

"Just the usual stuff." Lucy said bitterly. "He said I can never do anything right, that I'm purposefully trying to make it harder for him to marry me to some rich creep, and…" She hesitated.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing…"

"Come on Luce," he coaxed. "You know you can tell me."

"Well… he- he said that Mama would be ashamed of me, and I should never have been born. That I'm a mistake." Her voice cracked, and tears started slipping out between shut eyelids.

"He said what?!" Natsu growled, anger written on face. "He's wrong Luce. Your Mom would be proud of you, and you are definitely _not_ a mistake." Lucy looked at him doubtfully.

"You think so?"

"I _know_ so." He said firmly. She smiled and wiped her eyes.

"Thanks, Natsu." Tilting her head back, she studied the sky through a window in front of them. "I'll run away I think." She said. Natsu smiled.

"You could really do it, too. And I'd be right there with you." She looked at him curiously.

"Really? Why?" She asked.

"Well, you'll need someone to protect ya, right? I'll be your dragon guard!" He puffed out his chest, with a proud look on his face. Lucy giggled next to him.

"Yeah, and I'll be the princess." She said. "As long as I've got you, everything's going to be fine." She then peered at his face. "Promise you won't leave?" She held out her pinky.

"Promise!" Natsu grinned at her and wrapped his pinky around hers.

….

At the time, neither of the two knew what would happen only months later. It would radically change them, their futures, and the futures of many others, perhaps not necessarily for the better. Later, you will see what others I am talking about. And, as so it would seem, promises are made to be broken.


End file.
